RFA Tiderace (A137)

She has been designed to support the new Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers, the first of which, HMS Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Portsmouth last month.

She arrived in Falmouth in September 2017 and is currently undergoing customisation work which will install armour, self-defence weaponry and communications systems.

She is expected to undergo around four months of customisation before beginning a round of final sea trials before entering service in 2018.

The Tide Class has a flight deck able to accommodate the large Chinook helicopter and offer significant improvements over previous RFA tankers such as double hulls and greater environmental protection measures.